Fifteen Kisses
by Oliva9
Summary: SPOILERS. We already know that in Winter, Cinder has a record of how many times she and Kai had kissed in the Rampion. However, by the time the book starts, we've missed fifteen kisses between them. So how could those have happened? Here's a guess. (I accept ideas!).
1. Nightmare

**Hello readers! And welcome to my fanfic.**

 **Now I know, I _know_** **I should be writing my other series, but I swear I couldn't help it! It all started one afternoon when I stared at the intriguing books my sister had already read called "The Lunar Chronicles" and I thought, okay, I'll give it a shot. What's the end of the story? I practically _swallowed_ the four main books in less than a week. It's been a really long time since I read such a good saga, and I'm so glad I started reading the series recently, otherwise I would have had to wait for each book's release (shudder). This idea came to me while reading Winter and wouldn't leave me alone, so here I am! I _will_ continue my other series, but not yet. Not while I'm in my post-read frenzy.**

 **You should already know this, but there are SPOILERS EVERYWHERE! Also, the cover image doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _My nightmares are usually about losing you._

-The Hunger Games, by Peeta Mellark

 **SECOND KISS**

 _There was light and noise around him._

 _Kai looked around, blurry spots dancing across his vision. He was inside a dark room, sitting in a long table filled with culinary utensils and people. Everyone was talking with each other, although he couldn't make out their words. 'Dinner', he thought. Somehow, he knew they were going to have dinner._

 _He recognised Torin at his side, and after some time, he also noticed both Queen Levana and Sybil sitting in front of him. Kai tensed, a thread of anxiety lacing his gut, but no one seemed to pay him any attention._

 _It wasn't long before the servants came with their food. They placed the silver plates in front of every guest and left as soon as they came._

 _Queen Levana was the first to raise the lid. Kai squinted at the contents. And gasped._

 _It was the most revolting thing he had ever seen. The little small of pink muscles was partially complemented with metal platings that bore themselves into Kai's mind._

 _Just as he knew he was having dinner, he also knew he was looking at Cinder's heart. Cinder's fragile, half-synthetic heart._

 _Everyone else lifted their own lids, revealing yet more horrors. There was a metal hand, a metal leg, a pair of eyes, a brain, lungs… Cinder's body parts were distributed all over the table._

 _No. This wasn't happening. How? HOW?_

 _Kai looked down at his own plate. His hand moved out of its own accord, reaching shakily towards the top. The silver glinted back his own terrified reflexion._

 _His hand gripped the top of the lid and pulled._

 _Cinder's own preserved head stared back at him. She still had her ponytail, but the eye sockets were empty. Dark. Lifeless._

 _Only then did Levana raise her head and smirked at him triumphantly. 'It's over', she seemed to say._

 _Despair washed over him, hot and endless._

Kai snapped his eyes opened. He expected to see Cinder's head gazing down at him, but instead, he was met with darkness. His hands fumbled around until they brushed against a soft material.

Right. The kidnapping. The Rampion. The Emperor realized he was panting and forced himself to calm down. He tested something unpleasant in his mouth.

Kai took a moment to steady himself, curling over the blankets and feeling the too-hard material against his back. After a few moments of staring into nothingness and listening to the engine, he sighed before sitting up. The eyeless head haunted him mercilessly.

He searched for his wedding shoes, and when they were found, he slipped into them and stood up. Walked to the dimly-lit exit.

The kitchen wasn't very far away. While he doubted he had the skills to make himself some food, he was confident he could at least get some water.

However, when he entered, there was another person inside. At first, she had her back on him, but she turned once he got closer. His steps probably gave him away.

"Kai." Cinder said with surprise. She seemed to be opening a can, and he felt his heart jump a little at the sight of her.

"Hello." He answered, equally startled. "What are you doing here?"

She gestured at the can, twirling the can opener in the process in that way he could never understand. "I just got back from the engine room and was a little hungry. You?" That wasn't hard to believe. She had new stains on her clothes and was still sporting her tool belt.

He shrugged. "I was getting thirsty." Kai hoped she didn't question any further than that.

"Do you even know where the water is?"

He looked around. The crew had already given him a tour of the ship, but they didn't get that far. "Somewhere around here?"

Cinder put down the already opened can. "Close enough." She crossed to the other side of the room and he followed.

"Why were you in the engine room?" He asked. "Was something wrong with the ship?"

"Not really. I was just checking whether there was anything damaged after…" She hesitated.

"The kidnapping?"

Cinder grimaced. It had only been some hours since he had woken up, but it was still a touchy subject. "Everything was alright."

They reached a crate, and Cinder pulled out a canteen. Kai accepted it gratefully. "Thanks."

She nodded and went towards her can.

Kai stared at her. He tried to imagine all the metal plates and wires beneath her skin, but there was no indication of a robotic movement in her walk, let alone a manufactured organ. If not for her gleaming left metal hand, she would have looked as any normal girl.

But even then, she was still far from normal. She was also Princess Selene, the only one capable of dethroning Queen Levana.

As he moved to lean against the counter just a distance away from her, he remembered his dream. Apprehension gripped him suddenly. Kai still couldn't get the image of her preserved head off his mind.

"You're more thoughtful than usual. Are you alright?" Cinder was eating the contents of the can in a plate.

He took a drink from the canteen, knowing he had been gazing at space. Kai also noticed how she grabbed a wrench and fumbled with it, something he knew she did when she was nervous. It was endearing somehow. Everything about her was. "If it's because of the kidnapping, I'm really sorry. I know you're also under a lot of stress with everything that's happening and all, but we need your…"

He cut off her rambling. "I _know_. We're all a bit desperate right now."

The corner of her mouth twitched. "You're engaged to a tyrannical Queen who wants to conquer the world, can manipulate people, and is planning to kill all of us in the most horrible possible way unless we stop her. So yeah, I see how we're a _bit_ desperate."

"Not to mention her army of crazy mutant wolf-soldiers."

"And letumosis."

The subject grew too somber for further discussion, and Cinder shoved more food into her mouth.

Kai examined the canteen distractedly, pondering. He took a decision, and scratched his ear. "I had a bad dream." It was impressive how embarrassed it made him to admit it out loud.

The brunette looked at him, eyes expectant but open. Not at all judgemental.

"It was related to a dinner I had with Levana when she came to the palace." He continued. "You and I had already met."

She seemed like she wanted to comment on that, but appeared to think better of it and remained quiet. Instead, she put the wrench back in the tool belt and grabbed another one whose name he didn't recognize. He noticed how her hands were always doing something.

Kai wondered whether he could leave it at that. However, despite the embarrassment, he wanted Cinder to know. "I'll spare you the details for your own sake, but in the dream…" He paused. Took comfort in her eyes. "You were the first course."

Her eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

The Emperor grimaced and ran one hand through his hair, recalling the scene. "There was a part of your body on every plate, including the cyborg parts." He was silent for a moment to let the words sink.

Cinder glanced at her own food, probably losing her appetite. Then, she said, "That must have been a very traumatic dinner you had with Levana."

He grinned a little. "Oh, it was the worst. I almost threw myself from the top floor."

She snorted, and finished her food quickly. "Bless your soul. You also said they were going to eat my synthetic parts?"

"I don't know how we were going to manage that, but yep." Kai got closer as Cinder washed the plate. "Do you need any help?"

She waved him off. "No, it's fine. But thanks."

He looked at her cyborg prosthetic. He wasn't used to seeing it, and it amazed him every time he did it. "You can wash with your metal hand?"

"Yes, it's made for that, and so is my leg." She turned off the water and moved to clean the plate.

"Can I see it?"

Cinder paused, and Kai almost regretted asking her that. If she hadn't showed him her other prosthetic yet, then why would she want to do it now? "It's okay, you don't have to." He explained immediately.

She shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. There aren't just many chances to show it. Here." After a slight hesitation, Cinder reached with both hands to the edge of her pants and rolled them up.

Kai watched as the metal extremity came to view. It expanded throughout all her calf and past her knee in a complex set of metal plating. Curiousness bubbled inside him.

Slowly, he crouched and held out a hand, gouging her reaction. Cinder didn't stop him, and he rubbed the material with awe. A man-made metal leg that worked just as well as a normal one, maybe even better.

Kai glanced up. Cinder's gaze was fixed somewhere beyond his position, her hands still for once. The mysterious tool had disappeared, and somehow, the familiarity of his companion overwhelmed him. Her face, her arms, her body, he was so conscious of everything about her that it hurt.

She looked back at him and mumbled with a nervous laugh, "You already know how my foot looks, more or less."

This girl, this _cyborg_ , was the most captivating human being he had ever seen.

Kai whispered, "I don't want you to die." Then he kissed the metal plating of her upper calf, not caring how cold it was.

Cinder inhaled sharply. "I'll try not to." She whispered back. The fingers of her human hand threaded themselves in his hair, and a sigh escaped him. "Is there anything else I should know?"

 _That I like you. Very much. And just like you, I'm extremely scared._ Instead, he stood up gradually. Her fingers traveled from his head to his hand, and her other hand followed. He squeezed them gently. Placed his brow against hers.

"Levana had your heart, you know." He whispered, barely breathing. "In my dream."

She held his eyes, absorbing him. Kai noticed a redness in her iris, but when she blinked, it was gone. "My heart is half-synthetic. If she eats it, she'll just get indigestion."

A laugh escaped him. "With much reason."

"Besides," Cinder glanced at his lips, and he found himself doing the same thing, "right now, my heart is somewhere else."

His gut made a little jump. "Huh." He breathed, very intelligently.

A second later, they were kissing. It was incredibly gentle, but it was enough to disperse the terror of his dream and fill him with pure contentment. His hand found her cheek and her thumbs caressed his jawline.

Their lips brushed for what seemed an eternity, but the need for air was imminent. They departed, panting.

Kai licked his lips, his face warm, and grinned. "Is that tuna and tomato I'm tasting?"

* * *

 **So, how was it? Good? Bad? Please tell me in the comments! (OMG I love Kaider)**

 **Last of all, let me explain something. My intention is to write up to fifteen chapters with different scenarios, but I haven't come up with all of them just yet, so if this little project is successful,** **I want to listen to your own ideas. When did the other kisses occur and how? Please leave your ideas in the comments and if I like them, I'll publish them! Of course, I'll mention and thank the reader who came up with one I like. The scenario can consist of ANYTHING as long as it matches the storyline. If you have any questions, you can also leave them in the comments. Okay? Okay!**

 **And finally, whether you liked it or not, THANKS FOR READING!**


	2. Good Night Kiss

**Hello readers!**

 **Wow, thanks SO MUCH for the reviews, they mean a lot to me. I'm eternally grateful, e** **ven to those who just came to read the story.**

 **Now, I had previously planned to end the first chapter where I left it. However, one of you came up with the idea of a good night kiss, and I decided to link it with the last chapter. The user who suggested it was PennTheWriter! Thanks a lot for the idea, and don't worry, you're not clueless! I'm the one who never thought about something like that, so the clueless one should be me ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope I can meet to your expectations. This chapter is shorter and may have less dialogue, and I'm sorry if I mixed up the tenses a bit, but I think it will be fine (I believe? I hope?). I have also decided to designate a special quote to each chapter according to its contents. The first chapter will soon follow.**

 **So, on with the reading!**

* * *

 _You have skin made out of steel_

 _But that's a good thing, I guess,_

 _Considering how the pressure of your hand feels on my thigh_

 _And how it holds the weight of the entire sea_

/words/385/steel/poems/, by whiskey dipped flower

 **THIRD KISS**

When Cinder had first seen Kai make his way towards the galley, she immediately knew something was wrong. Well, that wasn't technically her first reaction. Her nervous and overly-enthusiastic heart had taken care of that.

He had looked just the same as always. The only differences had been his uncommonly ruffled black hair (even more than usual), his lack of formal clothing, and the drained expression that replaced his normally confident one.

He had still been incredibly handsome.

Then he had told her he was there because he was thirsty. No orange light had flickered at the corner of her vision, but it seemed weird of him to wake up in the middle of the night just because of that. There had to be something else to it.

However, she hadn't pursued the subject. If he didn't want to talk about it, then he didn't have to tell her anything, especially after all he had been put through. Cinder turned even more nervous when Kai's kidnapping had been mentioned, and after his unusual silence, she had been convinced he was being resentful.

In the end, he was just woken up by a nightmare. About _her_ , of all things. On one hand, it had felt unpleasantly good to know that he cared enough of her to dream about losing her, but on the other one, his distress pained her half-synthetic heart miserably. Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to comfort him, that had never been her area of expertise.

Besides, his tale nearly managed to quell her hunger.

Then had come his request to see her metal leg. That had been when things started to get even more complicated. She had originally thought that showing him her metal hand and retina display would finally put her at ease while exhibiting her metal extremities around him, which turned out to be a completely wrong presumption. But even if her metal leg had never been seen by not even her closest friends, how could she refuse? The fear of hurting him was stronger than her own embarrassment, and maybe there had also been a bit of hope in her decision.

So Cinder showed him the last part of her cyborg modifications that was visible to the naked eye that he hadn't already seen (if you didn't count her control panel at the base of her skull). The rest was hidden safely inside her body from everything except wild assumptions, scanners and dreams. Or nightmares.

Thankfully, Kai had taken the sight of her bare metal leg no differently than the sight of her retina display, all wonder and child-like curiosity. At least that was what she could make out from the corner of her eyes. She still felt vulnerable like that, exposed.

And last but definitely not least, had come the two kisses. The one on her calf, fleeting and utterly breathtaking even if she hadn't felt it, and the one on their lips. All tenderness, burning wires, and full of concealed feelings.

Even now, she was still trying to make sense of them.

The rest was a lot less eventful, yet packed with underlying tension. While drying her plate and putting everything in order, she and Kai had made small talk before deciding to go back to their respective beds and rest as much as they could, as the next day would be busy for everyone. Cinder had considered taking a shower beforehand, but deemed herself too tired for the deed.

So everything was relatively fine between them.

That was, until they reached her quarters.

Suddenly, a thick atmosphere descended upon them. Cinder inhaled deeply and grabbed unconsciously her pliers again.

Kai stared at the tool. "What's that one called?"

She glanced at her twirling human hand questioningly. "These? They are pliers."

" _Oh_ , right." He scratched his ear. "I have been wondering what its name was." Then he smiled a little. That same smile that drove girls crazy. "Anyways, thank you for the water, I'm feeling much better now."

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." This time, the orange light _did_ appear. _Oh Kai_. "I guess I'll see you in the morning." He brushed something from her cheek and stood where he was, probably waiting for her to enter her room.

Except it wasn't alright.

With Levana on their tails, nothing of their situation was. But at least, that was something that needed time in order to be fixed. Because of this, it wasn't something Cinder had to worry about momentarily (she didn't try to anyway). However, Kai was an immediate issue. And if she couldn't fix his problem, then what were her chances against fixing an entire monarchy, let alone two planets? (Or a moon and a planet).

She frowned at the wall. What would Kai do if she were the one in trouble? The answer to that was surprisingly easy, and a bit embarrassing if she were to do it. But she didn't care.

Cinder looked at his hand, and feeling daring, took it gently with her own. She realized a little late she did it with her cyborg hand. Nonetheless, she brought it to her eye level and pressed the knuckles against her lips.

Kai watched, mesmerized. When she was done, she lowered both hands without releasing them, like an anchor, and whispered, "I'm right here Kai, and I'm going to make sure we figure everything out, okay?" Cinder mustered the courage to meet his eyes.

His ears went pink, and he nodded almost imperceptibly. She inched closer, a silent request. He responded by getting closer, copper-brown eyes focused only on her face.

Their lips met for the second time that hour. Her mind went blank with giddiness as she closed her eyes and leaned slightly against him. Just like the other one, it was a completely sweet kiss. One that left room for more.

They parted slowly, savoring the moment with their breaths mingling. Both had stupid grins on their faces, and she squeezed his hand one last time before mumbling breathlessly, "Good night" and took a step back into her quarters (immediately missing his warmth).

The door slid shut. Cinder wondered if Kai would knock against it, but after a tense while, she perceived, after adjusting her audio interface, the noise of his fading footsteps as he walked away.

Only then did she allow herself to breathe. And realized she was still clutching her pliers.

* * *

 **I know that technically, Cinder has a titanium hand and she's holding Kai's hand in the quote at the beginning, but I didn't want to change it. Also, did you know how difficult it is to search for a poem/quote/whatever that includes metal in a Cinder fashion, if you know what I mean? Google only took me to the heavy metal genre...**

 **All in all, I hope you liked the chapter, and please keep on giving me ideas!**


	3. Screening My Feelings

**Hello! First of all, I'm sorry this took a bit more than the last chapter, but I'm starting to run out of ideas, and thus the updates take longer. But we can all thank my younger sister for coming up with this idea, which was to include newsfeed in order to develop Cinder and Kai's relationship, and I'm quite proud with this chapter. I think you'll like it. (Thanks a lot, sis!)**

 **So, ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _I want a news service that tells me what no one knows but is true nonetheless._

-Michael Crichton

 **FOURTH KISS**

Kai woke up slowly to the lulling sounds of an engine, blissfully ignorant of the world. His mind rolled over itself, getting rid of any thoughts and leaving it with absolutely nothing inside. It was a long while since the Emperor had had such a good sleep, and he momentarily didn't care why.

Time stretched lazily.

Then, when his consciousness was so polished that it _had_ to be filled with something, he started to wonder about the engine noise. And remembered everything.

Kai shot up with a loud gasp, as if inhaling air after breaking through the surface of water, almost hitting his head against the bunk above him. He was still in the Rampion, wearing part of his wedding clothes, and still in space judging by the sight of the window. But he was feeling awfully awake. _How much did I sleep?_

The teenager put on his shoes and walked out of his quarters, suppressing his dizziness at the prospect of being in space. He didn't have to walk much further; a group of people was already gathered at the cargo bay. And by the looks of it, they were already deep in conversation.

Cinder was the first person he noticed. She, like the rest of them, was wearing a military uniform and was gazing at the wall thoughtfully. Kai also recognised Carswell Thorne, who was leaning against a crate next to both his trusty cane and the short blonde girl Cress, the special operative Wolf sitting on the floor (whom he was still getting used to), and the standing form of Iko.

She took notice of his presence first. "Good morning Your Highness!" She greeted cheerfully, interrupting Thorne in the middle of a sentence, before scrunching her face in confusion. "Wait, technically it isn't morning, but whatever."

Everyone turned to look at him, and although he meant to speak to the whole group, he gazed mainly at Cinder, who he already knew was the leader. "Why didn't you wake me up?" He demanded.

She drew her lips together. "I'm sorry," she started tensely, although there was a hardness to her eyes, "but we figured you'd be tired after preparing for the wedding and let you sleep longer."

Before Kai could say anything else, Thorne commented, "Now that's something I'd like to be doing right now. Besides being able to see of course." He yawned to prove his point.

The Emperor scowled. "I'm complaining because I don't want to rest while you guys do all the planning. I want to help as much as I can. That's the reason you brought me here, right?

"Yes," Cinder assured him, "and you _will_ participate. This was just last night, we'll wake you up from now on."

Kai knew that maybe he should've been grateful. He _did_ feel restored after the stress of the wedding. However, he didn't wish to be pampered, he wanted to make himself useful. He would make sure they saw him as someone worthy of being a leader, even if it was in a completely different layout.

"Okay, so what were you talking about?"

* * *

 _The casualties in the outer regions are increasing by the minute, while most defences are positioned on the capital cities. Our estimation ranges from 5 000 to 12 000 deaths since the attack has begun, and the numbers are not expected to decline, even when reinforcements are eventually sent. The military-_

Kai yawned, a mess of knots in his stomach. "Play next video."

 _The wolf soldiers are like nothing we have ever been up against."_ A general seemed to be saying. _"They are fast, brutal, and only one of these creatures can lay destruction to a whole village. We recommend, after the evacuation, that everyone gets a gun, since it is one of our most effective methods of elimination-"_

"Play next video."

 _Demands have been sent to the Lunar Queen to stop the attacks, which came without any warning or declaration of war, but so far she has been unresponsive. Without an explicit answer to her actions, most theorists are convinced that Luna is planning to invade the planet, although others focus more on the relationship between the attack and the disappearance of Queen Levana's fiancée, Emperor Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth. There hasn't been any news of him or his-_

He heard someone approaching him from the crew quarters. Though it could've been anyone, that person's footsteps had a peculiarity: one step was always heavier than the other. _Tap, thump, tap, thump._

"Hi." Cinder said.

He glanced at her for a moment. She still wore the military uniform, but her hair was a lot messier after waking up. It still didn't make her any less pretty.

He looked back at the netscreen. "Hi."

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost 2 days, if I'm correct."

She appeared confused, then wrinkled her nose at him. "Haha, so funny."

In spite of the atmosphere, he let out a small grin. "I try."

Cinder turned her head to look at the screen as he changed the newsfeed. It had been a day since he had complained about sleeping longer than the others, and that was also the third time he was alone with her on the spaceship.

His thoughts wandered back to the kisses they shared at the… gah, that room's name wasn't 'kitchen', it was something else. Something with 'g'. And that rhymed with 'gummy'.

Or maybe not.

"Has there been any good news?" Cinder inquired.

He dispersed his thoughts. "No, I wanted to see how Earth was dealing with the war, but we were caught by surprise. Levana must be really angry."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kai saw her expression darken, although he suspected she already knew that. Cinder came nearer and grabbed the edge of the storage crate he was leaning on. "We have to hurry."

He nodded gravely.

They stayed like that for some time, he sitting against a crate and she supporting herself on it, incredibly close to him. So close that Kai could sense the warmth of her hand even through his head, although it could've just been his imagination, and he found himself nearing her fingers until he was sure they were touching his hair. Her presence drew him to her like a magnet.

He widened his eyes, then. Cinder had moved her hand to his head, and was tentatively massaging his scalp while he changed the news. A slow, pleasant sigh escaped him as her human fingers caressed the skin of his head and made his nerves tingle with heat. He had always raked his hands through his hair when he was overwhelmed or frustrated, but having her doing it… it melted him into a puddle.

However, a lot of jumpy heartbeats later, Cinder made a fist with his hair. Kai glanced almost sheepishly at her. She was staring at the screen attentively, something he had already stopped doing. He copied her.

 _There are still numerous complaints about this subject. However, Konn Torin, Emperor Kaito's temporary replacement, has made it clear in a press conference that he won't go against the Emperor's wish to discontinue the cyborg draft, and has also closed the subject from further discussion until Emperor Kaito is back. The mass has-_

"Why did you do it?"

Kai felt her gaze burning at the top of his head. In response, he ordered, "Netscreen, off" and turned to look at her. The glow of the newsfeed vanished, leaving them in the soft yellow light of the cargo bay.

He took the hand that was still resting on his head and massaged it with his fingers. She lowered her eyes to their joined hands.

"Do you suspect another reason besides the other ones I gave before?" He asked with a grin.

Cinder averted her gaze. "I don't know. You tell me."

Kai pretended to think. "Let's see…" He lifted her pinky, smiling fully. "Because it's the right thing to do?" Then her ring finger. "Because I felt like it?" Her middle finger. "Because I'm crazy?"

Her eyes slowly returned to his face. He stared back, aware of the warmth creeping from his ears to his cheeks.

Her index finger. "Because I'm ashamed?" And at last, her thumb. "Because I may have feelings for someone?" He brought her hand to his lips, an action becoming a custom. "Who knows?"

She rolled her eyes, even though a smile had also formed on her face. He loved that smile. "Make a decision then." Cinder whispered before crouching to his eye level and wrapping her arm around him. He immediately hugged her back. "But thank you."

"Anytime." Kai whispered back. She gripped him tighter.

"You know," Cinder said against his neck, "when Thorne first heard you ended the draft, he wouldn't stop teasing me about it. So I'm not _that_ grateful."

He breathed her in. "He can't be that bad."

"Live with him for one more day and we'll talk."

Kai chuckled and pecked her cheek, distancing himself, but not completely. He squinted at her face, which was frozen with suppressed embarrassment. However, something was missing.

He frowned playfully. "How come I've never seen you blush?"

She blinked, and asked, "What, you feel bad about it?" He suspected it was supposed to be a light-hearted comment, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

He raised his eyebrows. "No, it's just not fair for me."

Cinder looked away again. "Well, that's because I can't blush."

"What?" That didn't make any sense. "What do you mean you _can't_ blush?"

"I would, but my cooling system wouldn't allow it."

That was… even more ridiculous. "Wait, you have a _cooling system_?"

"Yep."

Kai was sure his incredulity was written clearly on his face, but he couldn't help it. He had been so sure there were no more surprises about Cinder, and yet… "That's even more unfair!"

She laughed joyously, seemingly relieved. "I also have a lie detector."

He raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. However, she stared back at him unflinchingly, and slowly, it dawned on him that she was serious. "You're kidding."

Cinder smirked. It also dawned on him that it was probably the first time she had ever boasted about her cyborg abilities. "Nope. And also x-ray vision."

Kai narrowed his eyes, and she lifted her hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, that last one was a joke. But I can really tell when someone's lying." Then her expression softened. "That's how I know you've never lied throughout this whole conversation."

If what she said was true…

Kai shook his head, smiling from ear to ear. "You… you're…" For once, he didn't have any words for it, so he leaned in and kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded, bringing him closer using his hair. He pulled her by the waist.

It would've been pure bliss being with Cinder like that, if it hadn't been for another pair of footsteps and a cheerful voice saying, "Hey, how are you…" The person stopped mid-sentence.

They sprang immediately apart, both standing up and putting some distance between themselves before looking at Iko with horror. The escort-droid stared at them, her eyes widening. "Hi Iko." Cinder greeted, an octave higher than usual.

"Oh stars, I'm so sorry!" She apologised quickly. "But we need to make breakfast."

"Sure." He said as calmly as he could and trying to push down his slight irritation. "Can I help this time?"

Cinder glanced at him. "Can you cook?"

Kai became even more embarrassed. "You can teach me."

"I love both of you _so_ much." Iko squealed. "C'mon, let's give some cooking lessons to the Emperor."

They followed the escort-droid to the… he still couldn't remember the name.

* * *

 **FLUFF EVERYWHERE!**

 **By the way, I think I'll lower the rating of the fanfic, as it doesn't have much swearing or explicit content (at least, not yet). I based the rating on the first chapter, which had some gory scenes, but I don't think the others will be the same.**

 **As always, thanks a lot for reading! (I know I may sound repetitive, but it's the complete truth). And please review and leave an idea, both of them absolutely make my day (maybe not if it's a bad review, but it's still important). And maybe, it would also make the day of hundreds of readers!**


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